Brandon Inge to Participate in Home Run Derby

[Tyrus]

Originally Posted by tiger337

I think it would be more complicated than that. A lot of players make the all-star game because they had good first halves so you would expect them to slow down in the second half - home run derby or not. You would have to adjust for that somehow.

Good point. One way to adjust might be to look at the first- and second-half performances of everyone on the All Star team, whether they participated in the HR derby or not, and see if the stats of the derby participants fell at a similar rate as the rest of the All Stars.

[jackson_cannery]

Originally Posted by Tyrus

Good point. One way to adjust might be to look at the first- and second-half performances of everyone on the All Star team, whether they participated in the HR derby or not, and see if the stats of the derby participants fell at a similar rate as the rest of the All Stars.

Or the same player's first and second half production in previous years, when they didn't do the derby..

[monkeytargets37]

I'd really like to see the American League HR derby participants be:

Brandon Inge
Joe Mauer (would rather see Thames or Adam Lind)
Russell Branyan
Carlos Pena

[Auburndale Ray]

I like Brandon Inge and I hope he has a good showing!!!

[Casimir]

Originally Posted by Biff Mayhem

I wasn't going to watch the HRD because it's sheer boredom and too much Berman but now I might have to tune in.

+1. The mute button will likely be functioning tomorrow. I will probably last only as long as Inge is in there.

What a week for Charles. Voted into the all star game and the HR derby to boot. Who the heck could've ever drawn this up for him?

[Chili Mac Davis]

Just to keep things in perspective:

Berman > Price
Berman > McCarver
Berman > Tom Hamilton of Indians
Berman > Any other Indians announcer
Berman > Joe Garagiola
Berman > John keating
Berman > Joe Morgan by a really large margin

McCarver thinks Jeter is godly, that he plays good defense. I don't hear Berman making mistakes like that.

[Casimir]

Originally Posted by Chili Mac Davis

Just to keep things in perspective:

Berman > Price
Berman > McCarver
Berman > Tom Hamilton of Indians
Berman > Any other Indians announcer
Berman > Joe Garagiola
Berman > John keating
Berman > Joe Morgan by a really large margin

McCarver thinks Jeter is godly, that he plays good defense. I don't hear Berman making mistakes like that.

Berman > Garagiola?

[KleShreen]

Originally Posted by monkeytargets37

I'd really like to see the American League HR derby participants be:

Brandon Inge
Joe Mauer (would rather see Thames or Adam Lind)
Russell Branyan
Carlos Pena

Well, I heard today that Pena was taking the last spot after getting put on the squad following Pedroia's injury...the other two AL participants being Mauer and Cruz...so you almost got your wish! Haha. I'm sure had Branyan made the game, he would be in it over Cruz.

Of course, they will be taking on Pujols, Howard, Fielder, and Gonzalez in the NL.

My mind says Pujols will deliver in St. Louis, but I think someone from the AL will get in a groove and win it, surprisingly. Clearly the NL looks like the better bet, though.

[Tyrus]

Originally Posted by Casimir

Berman > Garagiola?

I had the same reaction.

[Chili Mac Davis]

Originally Posted by Casimir

Berman > Garagiola?

From my recollection, Garagiola was a game show host with no wit and provided boring, self centered analysis.

[tigerfanfromchicago]

Originally Posted by Chili Mac Davis

Just to keep things in perspective:

Berman > Price
Berman > Tom Hamilton of Indians
Berman > Any other Indians announcer
Berman > John keating

Disagree.

Berman > Joe Garagiola

Before my time.

Berman > McCarver
Berman > Joe Morgan by a really large margin

Well, obviously.

[tiger337]

I think Garagiola was good in his early years because he was the first of the modern color men and was a novelty. After a number of years though, I think he became pretty bad. I actually thought Berman was good when he first started too. His nicknames were pretty funny the first couple of years but his whole act just got old.

[Corky]

Brandon's been bulking up. He has a shot:

[tigerfanfromchicago]

Originally Posted by Tyrus

I wouldn't mind a home run derby, but they've got to make it different somehow. It's way too boring the way it is now.

Have you ever seen the old time home run derbies on ESPN Classic? They also had a 3 out format, with two batters alternating. Something similar to that format would be better than what they have now.

[tigerfanfromchicago]

While I like Price better than Berman in general, Jim calling a HR derby might be even worse.

"THERE'S A LONG DRIVE LEFT FIELD... It will fall in shallow left center, and a youngster will retrieve it."

[The Truman Show]

There's no way Berman is better than Tom Hamilton.

[Ghostface]

berman & hawk call the games in hell.

[jaymo]

Originally Posted by Tyrus

I'm not good at crunching numbers, but I'm certain there's an easy way to determine if the myth is true -- whether participants of the home run derby indeed do worse in the second half.

THT Fantasy

Executive summary:
Myth busted.
The players do better than their Marcel projections in AB/HR after teh ASB.
They use Marcel instead of actual to address Lee's concern in post #37

Home runs actually go up in the second half of the season (Addressing Tyrus #41)

[deadcenter~440]

Originally Posted by tigerfanfromchicago

While I like Price better than Berman in general, Jim calling a HR derby might be even worse.

"THERE'S A LONG DRIVE LEFT FIELD..............That catcher is a fine man, doing a great job behind the plate............................................. .................................................. ............................................(Bat Cracks)........................................... .................................................. ..There's a foul.............................................. ...............................................2 Down.............................................. .................................................. .......(Bat Cracks several more times, crowd roars a few)....................................That's it for Inge folks

I had to change a few things, forgive me.

[Oblong]

Don't forget the case of Faygo for Jack's Place. he never forgets that one. Or a proper to the "fine folks over at Zubor Buick"

[Auburndale Ray]

Will Pena strike out???

[jackson_cannery]

Originally Posted by Auburndale Ray

Will Pena strike out???

As I recall from 2005, he is really good at hitting home runs that don't mean anything.

He'll win.

[deadcenter~440]

Originally Posted by KleShreen

Well, I heard today that Pena was taking the last spot after getting put on the squad following Pedroia's injury...the other two AL participants being Mauer and Cruz...so you almost got your wish! Haha. I'm sure had Branyan made the game, he would be in it over Cruz.

I'd rather Cruz be in the Derby, he doesn't hit cheap home runs....

[Walewander]

Originally Posted by Casimir

+1. The mute button will likely be functioning tomorrow. I will probably last only as long as Inge is in there.

What a week for Charles. Voted into the all star game and the HR derby to boot. Who the heck could've ever drawn this up for him?

I know, I remember when I was just getting back into baseball in 2003... I was reading scouting reports on Inge - light hitting good defensive catcher with an athletic streak.

[Kamakzie]

Oh joy we get the pleasure of "Back back back" Chris Berman? Blah! Mute button indeed!

[DGTigers]

Past participants deny Derby curse | MLB.com: News

Past participants deny Derby curse
Players refute claims that slugfest impacts second half

By Matthew Leach / MLB.com

07/13/09 1:00 AM ET

ST. LOUIS -- With the way players have turned down invitations to the State Farm Home Run Derby in recent years, you'd think the event was saddled with a curse bigger than the Sports Illustrated and Madden video-game covers combined. But players who have gone deep in the Derby in past years insist there's no negative to taking your hacks in the annual spectacle, even for those who last deep into the contest.

Certainly some anecdotal evidence exists regarding a Derby downside. In St. Louis, they still talk about 2005, when Jim Edmonds aggravated a shoulder injury and slumped badly soon after participating in the Derby. And a quick glance at the numbers indicates that players who take part see their numbers slip in the second half.

Still, the players themselves assert that it's a coincidence, not a consequence.

"I don't think so," said 2008 Derby champion Justin Morneau. "I think if you want it to be an excuse, it can be an excuse for you. We take enough swings and try to hit enough home runs during batting practice, so I don't believe it does. You are constantly making adjustments to your swing during the season anyway. There is no reason you can't go there and do that and then make an adjustment back to where you feel good."

With that said, it's worth noting that Morneau isn't returning to defend his title in 2009. And he did fall off quite a bit in the second half, from a .323/.391/.512 line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) before the All-Star break to .267/.350/.481 after. Then again, he had even bigger second-half drop-offs in '05 and '07, so it's not necessarily a result of taking some swings on a Monday night at Yankee Stadium.

Morneau's slide wasn't the only one, though. Over the past 10 years, Derby finalists have seen their average slugging percentage drop from .583 in the first half to .554 in the second. That could be due to players getting out of their approach and messing up their swings. It could be due to some of them getting hurt, as Edmonds did.

Some hitters do acknowledge that the Derby is a unique challenge, even as they deny that it should have any long-range effect.

"It was physically difficult that night, but I don't think it had any affect after that," said 2005 winner Bobby Abreu. "I go through periods when I don't elevate the ball. It comes and goes. It took a lot of energy to do that, but I have long batting practices during the season, too. So I don't think it was a big deal that way, not at all."

The explanation, then, could just be regression to the mean. If you get chosen for the Derby, odds are that you had a very good power first half. And if you had an unusually good first half, chances are you'll have a more usual second half. It's not the law of averages, it's just simple fact: It's hard for even a really good hitter to keep up the pace that some of these guys post in half a season.

"It didn't do anything to me at all," said Garret Anderson, who beat out Albert Pujols in the 2003 final round. "I think it might be a bit of an excuse anyway. Those guys that are in it, I'm sure they take some of those same swings during BP anyway."

That's certainly the case for the man who electrified last year's Derby runner-up, Josh Hamilton. The Rangers slugger put on a spectacular show in the early rounds before running out of gas in the final. He argued that for him, the Derby is no different from a normal day in batting practice.

"Me, I'm going to try to hit the ball out in batting practice anyway, unless I'm working on something," Hamilton said. "Think about how many swings we take in a day. We get here, we hit early in the cage, maybe 25 swings in the cage, then sometimes we have early hitting outside and that's 25 more swings. That's 50 right there. Then we have batting practice, so that's 25 more, then we'll hit in the cage again before the game. So right around 100, 120 swings a day."

Besides, if the Derby is such a problem, how do you explain 2006? Ryan Howard won the '06 Derby in Pittsburgh, cranking 23 homers. He then went on to terrorize the National League for the entire second half. Entering the break, Howard was batting .278 with a .341 OBP and a .582 SLG. After the break he was unstoppable, putting up a ridiculous .355/.509/.751 line that propelled him to National League MVP honors.

"Go back to 2006," Howard said. "That should answer your question right there.

"People try to put that in your head. It didn't affect me in 2006, obviously. But I think it's something that everyone tries to make a big deal out of it. They say people alter their swings or whatever. It's a difference when you're going out there and you know that somebody's throwing a ball at a certain speed and a certain way every single time, and you're trying to put a certain swing on it. But once you get back in the game speed -- it's the same as taking batting practice. You can go and you can basically do everything you want to do in batting practice, but it's like when you get in the game, a lot of things change. The ball speeds up, slows down, curves, dips, dives, juts and dodges. Cuts, everything. So it's still all about getting the right swing and getting the right pitch. So I don't think it really affects your swing in that sense."

And Howard is putting his money where his mouth is. He's participating in the 2009 Derby in his hometown of St. Louis. And why not?

"Sometimes your swing is just going that well to where hey, the ball is jumping off the bat," Howard said. "Sometimes, you may hit it, and it may knuckle if you square it up. I just think that a lot of people, if somebody's not necessarily hitting the ball the way that they were before, hitting the ball out, they blame it on the Home Run Derby."

[The Truman Show]

I'd be ok with Inge posting a slash line of .355/.509/.751 after the all-star break.

[ballmich]

Originally Posted by The Truman Show

I'd be ok with Inge posting a slash line of .355/.509/.751 after the all-star break.

I'd be happy if Inge (or anyone on the team) posted that just for one month after the all-star game...

[Oblong]

Inge has 21 HR. On pace for like 40. I'd be happy if he hit 9 more. If he doesn't hit 40 at least one idiot on TV or radio will blame the HR derby.

[Tyrus]

Originally Posted by jaymo

THT Fantasy

Executive summary:
Myth busted.
The players do better than their Marcel projections in AB/HR after teh ASB.
They use Marcel instead of actual to address Lee's concern in post #37

Home runs actually go up in the second half of the season (Addressing Tyrus #41)

Thanks for the link. That set my mind at ease.

[tigerfanfromchicago]

Originally Posted by Oblong

Don't forget the case of Faygo for Jack's Place. he never forgets that one. Or a proper to the "fine folks over at Zubor Buick"

[The Truman Show]

Originally Posted by Tyrus

Thanks for the link. That set my mind at ease.

And you said you don't wanna learn anything about statistical analysis....

[Casimir]

Should participate be in quotes? Or is there a chance that this gets rained out and they start over so that he can participate later on?

[tys-spikes84]

I feel bad for Inge, wish he could have hit a few. Oh well, I'll take those 2 or 3 he could've hit in the regular season, not the HR derby!

[jake]

I'm glad it happened. It will keep him in check a bit. Maybe get him mad a little.

[will the thrill]

Originally Posted by Chili Mac Davis

McCarver thinks Jeter is godly, that he plays good defense. I don't hear Berman making mistakes like that.

Jeter does play good defense, he knows the hitters, and gets himself in great position to make up for his lack of range. to be a good defensive player, you need great range, or great knowledge to position and play your position properly and not make a lot of mistakes. A great defensive player does both

[will the thrill]

When does Brandon hit?

[Kamakzie]

Originally Posted by will the thrill

When does Brandon hit?

3rd.

[sportz4life]

Originally Posted by will the thrill

Jeter does play good defense, he knows the hitters, and gets himself in great position to make up for his lack of range. to be a good defensive player, you need great range, or great knowledge to position and play your position properly and not make a lot of mistakes. A great defensive player does both

will except for this season, Jeter's defense as measured by every defensive metric, is poor. It's an inside joke throughout baseball and the SABR community..with the advent of the new system that MLB is testing in San Fransisco and will implement in every major leage park, measuring all defensive factors beginning in 2010. These are the kinds of arguments that will finally be put to rest.

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Originally Posted by will the thrill

Jeter does play good defense, he knows the hitters, and gets himself in great position to make up for his lack of range. to be a good defensive player, you need great range, or great knowledge to position and play your position properly and not make a lot of mistakes. A great defensive player does both

On the off chance that the colors do not indicate sarcasm, statistical evidence strongly suggests Derek Jeter has not been a good defensive shortstop relative to other MLB shortstops over his career, by any reasonable interpretation of the meaning good.

EDIT: I see S4L posted the same sentiment during the time I was writing this...